[jamiem1987]

Hi guys I have taken delivery yesterday of my new f31 320d m sport with pro nav, lane assist. Overall I am pleased with the car, it drives great but I have some worries something is not right with my car.

I came from a Audi A4 b8.5 150 TDI black edition )with sat nav and i have to admit I wish I could swap back. Firstly:

The engine sound of the 320d is awful, it sounds like an old bus, on idle it is borderline embarrassing when I have people in the car, the audi engine was silky smooth and I honestly couldnt tell it was a diesel. Is it normal for the 320d to sound as coarse aand as rattly as mine?

The start stop system is very shakey when it restarts compared to my audi which you couldnt feel any vibrations.

There doesnt seem to be any low end torque im familiar with diesels either, it seems to need revving which only makes it louder. This is something im sure i will get used to driving it differently.

I specced pro nav which is great, much better than the audis but the sound system is very poor, its very boomy and no matter how much playing with the settings i just cant getit sounding right there is no clarity like my audi system, i expected much better and the system in my mums corsa sounds better (genuinely), I may have been spoilt with the bang and olufsen system in the audi here.

Finally I didnt spec xenon lights and this is the feature i miss most from my audi, the headlights in the new bmw are woeful, my old astra headlights were much better, is there anything i can do about this?

Finally id like to add i am happy with the car despite my comments, the drive is perfect and the seating position is perfect for the ultimate driving experience.

Im sure i will talk myself out of the issues eventually but want to know if my above experiences are familiar before i start ringing bmw.

Kind regards

[Nick the Greek]

Yes The 320D Is Rough.

New Diesel Engine In The SummerLCI To Cure This.

[jamiem1987]

Urgh I wish I would have known this, I feel silly as i never expected a bmw engine to sound as bad as the 320d, on the test drive i didnt pick up on it as the salesman was talking and we were out on busy roads.

I know its a really minor thing but Everytime I start it up I wish id have chosen another car.

[64-bit]

Im sorry to hear that.

I got a 335i RWD M-Sport and paid extra for it so later i would not have any regrets

Now, 3 weeks ago I drove a brand new Audi S5 and man... What a ride, much more refined and the car felt way more connected to the road and sportier than my 335i

BMW is loosing its main ingredients to attract the mass, my next car will either buy a FULL M car or an Audi.

[jamiem1987]

My A4 wasnt as nice to drive as the bmw in terms of sportiness but it was quattro and it felt safer. I have absolutely no idea why i swapped now thinking about it, i was lured in by a deal that costs me £750 to get in to a brand new 64 plate with no extra monthly costs, i should have arranged a 24 hour test drive before comitting maybe.

[....,,,,..,,..]

You are kind of stuck with the non xenons.

Yes the 320d is a bit agricultural, however how many miles have you done with it?

It will loosen up and there is power there.

How long did you have you A4 and mileage?

Did you get the MSport plus pack? Or you on Bogo standard stereo?

[jamiem1987]

I've only done 450 miles in it so you are right it could loosen up economy is very good though which is a big plus over the audi.

Im wondering if i could swap the bulbs for some better ones, they do seem really dull even compared to other none xenon cars.

Unfortunately its the bog standard stereo with only 6 speakers i believe, gutted i didnt spec a better sound system, the bang and olufsen in the audi was unreal but i never knew how good at the time.

The audi was a 2010 with 85.000 miles on it, never missed a beat

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by jamiem1987

I've only done 450 miles in it so you are right it could loosen up economy is very good though which is a big plus over the audi.

Im wondering if i could swap the bulbs for some better ones, they do seem really dull even compared to other none xenon cars.

Unfortunately its the bog standard stereo with only 6 speakers i believe, gutted i didnt spec a better sound system, the bang and olufsen in the audi was unreal but i never knew how good at the time.

The audi was a 2010 with 85.000 miles on it, never missed a beat

There are some threads on the UK bit of the forum on stereo upgrade and Bogo lights bulb upgrades.

You will get more answers there btw.

[BQ05]

For the headlights you should get Osram Nightbreakers unlimited, i've got them on my VW Caddy Workvan and there is notable improvement in light output, there should be similar improvement over BMW stock bulbs. I have also seen that BMW started selling styling/performance light bulbs for both xenon and halogen.

And for audio you could choose the Alpine kit, available at your BMW dealer. I have installed two of these kits in friends cars, and it brings much needed clarity to the sound and also some more control of the bass. If you have installed any caraudio equipment before this kit should not be a problem, otherwise get your dealer to do it.

[tboooe]

Originally Posted by jamiem1987

i should have arranged a 24 hour test drive before comitting maybe.

Did you not test drive it first? I hear ya about how the Audi drives with Quattro. It feels planned and firm. To me the BMW feels more skittish and loose which is not a bad thing..just different. As others have mentioned give it time. Your brain will recalibrate and you will start enjoying your nice car.

[jamiem1987]

I had a half hour test drive with a salesman that was telling me all the benefits and showing me the shiny pro nav which is amazing, i meant i should have tried to arrange a 24 hour test drive to get a feel for the car over a longer period of time. I think you are right, I need to stop looking at as a downgrade. Thanks for all your help.

[tboooe]

Definitely not a downgrade, just different. I came from an S5 to a 4 series. Some would call that a downgrade but to me the 4 just serves my purposes better at this point in my life (I.e. kids). You got a fabulous car with a lot to offer over the Audi.

[F32Fleet]

IRRC BMW opted for solenoid injectors in this and the N57. That may be why it runs a little louder at cold start. Perhaps your Audi had piezo?

[stevehecht]

Originally Posted by BQ05

And for audio you could choose the Alpine kit, available at your BMW dealer. I have installed two of these kits in friends cars, and it brings much needed clarity to the sound and also some more control of the bass. If you have installed any caraudio equipment before this kit should not be a problem, otherwise get your dealer to do it.

Don't know if www.bavsound.com sells in the UK, but it is an excellent ugrade for $599.

The N47d20 engine is very rough on cold mornings but as the engine warms up things improve, just as they do with the maturation of the engine itself. Disliking the sound is really just a mind-set that can be changed. There is really nothing uglier about a diesel revving than a gasser revving unless you tell yourself that. It's just a matter of what is considered the norm.

[smithf80]

Trust me the N20 gas engine sounds plenty bad on cold start, but yeah, I would say going from a fully-spec'd Audi to a low-spec BMW would disappoint anyone.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by jamiem1987

I had a half hour test drive with a salesman that was telling me all the benefits and showing me the shiny pro nav which is amazing, i meant i should have tried to arrange a 24 hour test drive to get a feel for the car over a longer period of time. I think you are right, I need to stop looking at as a downgrade. Thanks for all your help.

As I said though, post something in UK bit of forum, someone has some decent guides on stereo upgrade and where to get light upgrade from.

Oh and it's colourful

[NO_RETURN]

You may want to look in to installing some sound dampening material such as FatMat or DynaMatt. Applied correctly it will transform your ride. It's not that hard to actually install but removing interior to apply it can be a real chore.

[stormlv]

Not much to chip in, but I agree with what others have said.

Give it more time and it should loosen up.

Another reason could even be the fuel itself.
I once had a fill-up which my car didn't "like" and it felt reeealy sluggish. :|

[NitramA]

As has been said elsewhere I feel your pain.

I had an A4 s line and moved to a 320D.
I was really disappointed with it for some time (still am really), but I think I know what the problem was/is.

I have never come across a car that requires you to chose options so carefully and will only work when you have ticked the most important options for you.
You need to spend money to get it to work.

I went for auto,adaptive suspension and pro nav, but left out the xenon's,leather seats and proper steering wheel. (Standard leather wheel is truly awful).
If we ignore the road noise kicked up by the RFTs, I truly regret the leather and lights.
The auto box is great and the adaptive suspension is worth the money.
Pro nav has never lived up to expectations.
On reflection should have dumped the pro nav.
Stereo isn't great, but it's not bad. Again if music is important you need to upgrade on the options list.
Trouble is once you tick the right options you end up with a very expensive car for what it is. So you need to uptick the less important options.

As for the motor, it will get quieter over time, although it is always noisey when cold and around town, but the power is much better than the Audi.
It does drive better thank an Audi, it's just not as nice a place to be and the refinement is much worse.
Best compact exec as stated in What Car. I don't think so!
Get it on some bends though and it is wonderful.

BMW will need to up the cabin standards to get me to stay with them next time round.
I know it as a "nearly car". Could be a great car except for ....fill in the blanks.

Problem you've got is that depreciation is huge over the first 18 months so it's not financially viable to get rid of it. No point in getting uptight, just drive it and enjoy the dynamics. Identify what's most wrong with the car and change them yourself bit by bit.
I'm going to have the leather wheel retrimmed and to me, that will help a lot.
Might look at lights next, but I plan to keep it for 2 years and review the situation then.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by stormlv

Not much to chip in, but I agree with what others have said.

Give it more time and it should loosen up.

Another reason could even be the fuel itself.
I once had a fill-up which my car didn't "like" and it felt reeealy sluggish. :|

Yeah good point we had a thread going on fuels.

I use BP Ultimate, it gives a much better feel and sound to the engine (higher cetane)

Try a few tanks of BP Ultimate.

[ELNch]

Remember the engine is electronically restricted the first couple of thousand kilometers to ensure that the engine is broken in the way it should be.

Depending on your driving style all the torque should be available within 5000 to 9000 km.

Most people are not aware of this

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by NitramA

I have never come across a car that requires you to chose options so carefully and will only work when you have ticked the most important options for you.
You need to spend money to get it to work.

Agree we need to think carefully about what we are after from a BMW.

The OP did mention he came from a well specced Audi, same issues as BMW, need the correct options to get a good car. Like for like options make comparisons much more meaningful.

Having spent several days in a 320d ED, I can see how a 320d with limited options can disappoint, engine sound track can be off putting, then it is easy to feel underwhelmed with the rest of the car.

HighlandPete